Jump to content

EE & watch noob from NE UK


FrankD

Recommended Posts

How do you do.

I'm Frank from Aberdeen, up in the north east of Great Britain.

I'm an engineer by profession mostly telecommunications in the space and telco industries with some work in European technical civil service.

I don't do any hands on work at work but I keep my hand in during my spare time with electronics repairs, including surface mount technologies. I've also an interest in botany. I'm struggling a bit without a stereomicroscope.

I've some old watches to repair including a Tag Heuer SEL quartz (955.112) whose bracelet broke. I then put it aside forgetting to take the battery out, it leaked, the watch is now dead on the movement holder with the date ring turned to hard melted plastic. I'll be looking for guidance on cleaning it up and replacing, perhaps repairing the movement.

My ex-neighbour is a watchmaker but I haven't seen him around his shop of late.

I'll also be posting a bit about tools and equipment. I don't have that many watches to justify massively kitting up but many tools will come in handy for electronics, hacking etc.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, vinn3 said:

welcome to the repair forum.  the electronic and quartz must be right up your alley.  i tend to stay with the gear and spring watches.  cheers,    vin

That's the bit that makes me most nervous, more so than screws or springs popping. I don't want to be breaking that coil.

That's my first watch disassembled, small parts cleaned and partitioned into milk bottle lids. I'll clean the molten date ring/battery electrolyte off the back of the dial and the chassis tomorrow. I'll need to get some grease and oil. I might just save myself the price of a new movement.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Welcome Frank. That ETA movement can be found for 25-30$ on the internet so you could also replace it completely...

The date ring can also be bought by itself but they're pretty expensive for what they are. Cheaper in the States but costs quite a bit to get them here.

I had to do some work on such a movement myself but I decided it wasn't worth it. Mine wasn't a Tag though.

So far do you reckon that any components are damaged and need replacing ? You can test the coil with an ohm meter but I guess you knew that already. :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can get a new 955 with date ring on eBay for £20-25

If you want a challenge you can get 15 TAG branded 955s for £30 but these need repair.

Either option is a better start than your acid eaten wreck.

For tools you need a jewellers loupe, hands free in some form. A decent set of screwdrivers will be you friends (not a £1 set). Some wooden tooth picks, tweezers, cotton buds, isopropyl alcohol, movement clamp should get you going. If you like quartz movements then a quartz tester at about £30 is a good thing.

 

My greetings to you from NE England. It's a great hobby and a great bunch of people on here.

Cheers Neil

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can get a new 955 with date ring on eBay for £20-25
If you want a challenge you can get 15 TAG branded 955s for £30 but these need repair.
Either option is a better start than your acid eaten wreck.
For tools you need a jewellers loupe, hands free in some form. A decent set of screwdrivers will be you friends (not a £1 set). Some wooden tooth picks, tweezers, cotton buds, isopropyl alcohol, movement clamp should get you going. If you like quartz movements then a quartz tester at about £30 is a good thing.
 
My greetings to you from NE England. It's a great hobby and a great bunch of people on here.
Cheers Neil
 
 
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Oh, a decent case knife too,


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 11/09/2017 at 8:01 AM, Neileg said:

You can get a new 955 with date ring on eBay for £20-25

If you want a challenge you can get 15 TAG branded 955s for £30 but these need repair.

Either option is a better start than your acid eaten wreck.

For tools you need a jewellers loupe, hands free in some form. A decent set of screwdrivers will be you friends (not a £1 set). Some wooden tooth picks, tweezers, cotton buds, isopropyl alcohol, movement clamp should get you going. If you like quartz movements then a quartz tester at about £30 is a good thing.

 

My greetings to you from NE England. It's a great hobby and a great bunch of people on here.

Cheers Neil

I'm not particularly into quartz, it's just that's the watch I have that is broken and it was a present, so of some sentimental value. I did see 15 for £30 movements on ebay. Who knows. they might have all had battery leaks too. There are different height variants, per esslinger site.

There seems to be no corrosion under the microscope but it's going to cost more for lubricants than for a new movement.

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Topics

  • Posts

    • Polish it where the old part cracked as well. Get rid of the stress-raisers.
    • Sounds great! And yes, I would use grease for the keyless as well although treating the parts with epilame would make the grease less likely to spread in the long run. Not critical but won’t hurt. My current strategy is to epilame treat all parts getting in contact with oil or grease.
    • Hello everyone, for what it's worth, here is my approach: 1. Escape wheel submerged in Epilame, then dried quickly with a hairdryer. Then the final tip of the pivots are cleaned by poking into pithwood. The logic being that the Epilame is removed at the intended contact point (to avoid any residue that may mix with the oil), but remains in the areas where oil is not supposed to spread to (further down the pivot towards the wheel). The escape wheel teeth also benefit from having Epilame to keep the 9415 in place.  2. I use a syringe to treat only the pallet stones. I suspend the pallet fork with some Rodico so that the stones hang downwards. I notably use a rather thick needle where a drop WON'T form, but rather where the Epilame liquid stays in the needle tip, which I then dip into the pallet stones. It requires some practice to get the right amount of Epilame into the needle tip, but it works for me now. This way, no drop will "jump" onto the pallet fork and potentially go all the way to the pivots.  3. I let the movement run for a few minutes without lubricating the pallet stones... to scrape off the Epilame in the intended contact "channel". Then I remove the balance again and lubricate the exit pallet stone with 3-4 successive drops. See the "channel" that forms on the pallet stone in the picture -- not so easy to see, but it's visible.       I am conflicted about the use of Epliame in balance jewel settings. My impression is that the two jewels sufficiently suspend the oil (even 9010). Apparently Rolex recommends NOT to use Epliame there (heard from a former Rolex service center watchmaker), as it could cause additional wear. Apart from that, I follow specific instructions where I can find them. E.g. the infamous Rolex reverser wheels or sometimes (parts of) the seconds wheel. Exception: I'm currently servicing an Eta 2824 and will probably ignore the service sheet that recommends treating the whole keyless works with Epilame and then using HP1300... I'll skip the Epilame and use 9504 grease.        
    • I'm going to give this a try today/tomorrow on my UTC33/Seiko 66, thanks!
    • Hello and welcome from Leeds, England. 
×
×
  • Create New...